on the run
by Cerulean Musings
Summary: Tumblr prompt: "Please don't tell me it's you I saw on the World's Most Wanted list." When Central City is left desolate after President Eiling's anti-metahuman ruling, Cisco and Sage breech back to pass on a message from Barry to Iris. Dystopian AU.


_**on the run**_

The thick layer of fog that had settled over Central City may blanket the desolation from outsiders but those that still inhabited the once shiny town only barely noticed its suffocating presence. The citizens got used to the dreary, gloomy forecasts just like they got used to the vacant and rotting playgrounds, malls, and theaters. President Eiling made sure no stone was left unturned when he put his new regime in order. He claimed that it was to protect his once-fellow citizens; everyone connected to S.T.A.R. Labs knew it was simply a vehicle for revenge. One they couldn't stop no matter how hard they tried.

Glass crunched beneath her sturdy boots as she skidded to a stop, grasping onto his arm to keep from slamming into the brick wall they were nestled in between for cover. Old, slanted, soggy cardboard boxes lined dotted the alleyway like the black mold that crept along the vacant homes in the suburbs. A forgotten village, an abandoned home.

She reached up to tug her hair, an act on instinct, and grabbed air. _Oh…that's right…_ She cleared her throat and looked up and down the alley, her eyes briefly landing on the weather-torn and sun bleached scraps of blankets left behind.

"You overshot us," Sage commented with a huff. She licked her cracked, dry lips and peered up and down the alley once more.

"Sorry, I can't exactly steer right when I have someone backseat breeching in my ear," Cisco replied. He pushed a gloved hand through his scraggily, dry hair.

"I was just trying to warn you…"

"I don't need the reminder."

She sighed. No one needed to be reminded that Central City, which once stood so tall and was a frontrunner when it came to sciences and engineering, fell hard. The sparkle on the city dulled and no one wanted to touch it when the news of the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion spread. Then President Eiling came out with his "solution" to the metahuman "problem" and Central City's stock plummeted past redeemable levels. People moved away, protesters were silenced; Special Forces lined the streets as fugitives were dragged out of homes and torn from their families and those suspected of harboring were interrogated for hours on end. Or so the reports said. They didn't have a lot of time to sit and read what was going on.

Sage looked around again. "Okay, hurry up and get us out of here. Before the sensors catch onto us." That was President Eiling's first rule of business: installing new detection systems around the city that could track metahumans. He stole the prototype from S.T.A.R. Labs and used it against them; it was like stabbing them in the back with their own knives. That salt stung worse than dripping sweat in their eyes as they constantly moved. Stopping was a bad idea; stopping was a death wish.

"Are you sure you—"

" _Yes_ , Cisco. I have to go back. I need to see her. One last time, okay?" Cisco didn't budge. Sage once again tried to grasp at her hair only for her fingers to brush against the shorter, darker strands that sat close to her head. She pressed her lips together and took a step closer to him. "If it were Dante I wouldn't stop you."

Now Cisco's lips became a thin line. The mere name still left a sour taste in his mouth and punched him hard in the stomach. But still, in spite of it, he knew her words rang true. After all, in the end, Dante did give him a head start…

"Okay, but we can't stay long. In and out," Cisco said.

Sage gave a wry smile and adjusted the bag on her back. "If I had a nickel for every time a guy said that to me…"

"Then you'd need to give them refunds for wasting your time," he replied. His face remained stony but his words held a tinge of warmth that she hadn't heard in a long while. Not since this all started. Her smile got a little wider and she allowed a laugh to break through. It slid off her face a minute later when he stated, "The place is probably under surveillance."

"I know. But I need to go back. Five minutes. Tops. You can breech us out in a second."

Cisco nodded. He stretched out his arm and then pulled his watch close to his face. He pressed the buttons on the side and the lid popped open, allowing a projection of a sphere to pop out. He brought his arm closer to his face and peered at the illuminated dots that popped up on the image. He nodded and snapped the watch shut. "Okay, we should be—"

 _Zing!_

The brick behind Sage's head exploded, sending shards splintering in every direction. She ducked and covered her head, feeling the bits rain down on her. Her heart revved in her chest and her muscles immediately tensed. How could this be? There were no sensors in the area. They should've been fine. And yet, all throughout the city, alarm sirens kicked off and filled the air with the echoing, screaming wails.

"Spotted: Fugitives MH013T and MH011T! Falcon Sector, due north! Moving in!"

Ropes unfurled over the rooftop edges. A moment later soldiers lined the edges of the rooftop, the scopes of their guns held up to their goggle-covered eyes. Their fingers, poised next to the triggers, twitched as they waited for their orders.

"Ohh, this aint good," Cisco uttered. He gulped when red dots appeared on the front of his dark leather jacket. "Oh this _really_ isn't good."

"Don't move! You're under arrest!" A booming voice sounded from above.

"Shit shit shit," Sage muttered. "Cisco, c'mere!" She took one step forward, reaching out for his shoulder. If she could just make it…

"We have resistance! Open fire!"

Her gloved hand slapped down on his shoulder as the barrage of bullets flew towards them. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A tremor started in her feet, rolled up her legs, curled around her stomach, and crawled up her body. Every muscle inside of her quaked and quivered. Her skin cooled and she heard a faint tinkling in her ears, felt lighter on her feet…

 _Zing, zing, zing!_

The brick behind Sage and Cisco exploded as bullets shot through their once-solid bodies. Little wisps of fog floated into the air as bullets passed through them, briefly marking the would-be entryway holes. Soon the wall behind them resembled the targets at a shooting range, outlining their targets without leaving a mark.

"Cisco, open a breech!" Sage's voice, now raspy and hard, filtered in through the loud pops of the bullets.

"Kinda need my arms back for that," he replied. "Bring up a barrier!"

"Fine, but _hurry!_ "

Taking a breath, Sage forced herself to let go of Cisco's shoulder. All at once their bodies solidified from its previous gaseous state. She held out her hands, a light blue glow enveloped them, and with a wave of her arms she created a force field that surrounded them. Anything that passed through the barrier gently floated to the ground, small snowflakes dropping to the ground.

"Got it." Cisco thrust out his hand, a quivering, quaking portal burst open on the ground in front of him. Grabbing onto Sage's arm he flung himself down the hole, pulling her along with him. Flashes of color and light shot past them until all light when away and they crashed hard onto the ground.

"Doesn't this thing come with airbags?" Sage groaned, her words muffled due to her face pressing against the hardwood floor.

"Hey, just be glad I got you inside this time," Cisco replied. His words were followed by a groan of pain as he sat up and rubbed his back. He looked up, gulped, and then blanched at what stared back at him. "Err…mayyybe not."

"Huh?"

Sage pushed herself up into a kneeling position and then felt it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her shoulders lifted to her ears. A chill rolled down her spine, not one that belonged to her own abilities. She gulped and slowly turned only to stare down the barrel of a gun. Her eyes traveled up the length of the gun and up to the eyes of its wielder.

" _Iris!_ " she gasped.

Iris's jaw remained rigid though she did lower the gun. However Sage still kept her eyes on it, as her father and uncle used to say every gun was a loaded gun, even an empty one. "What're you two doing here?" Iris demanded. "Don't you know Central City's under siege?" Sage didn't miss the bitterness and weight in her cousin's voice; it made her stomach twist hard. How could Iris, the glue in their family, become…this? Deep frown lines appeared etched into her skin, the dull glow of the single lamp deepening them into canyons. The fire that once burned behind her eyes remained dormant, replaced by hard coals.

"Can't miss it; we had quite the welcoming party," Sage commented. She tried for a smile, aching for some small bit of normalcy.

Iris didn't crack a grin. Instead she pulled Sage to her feet and yanked her close for a tight hug. All the tension that Sage held in her body melted at the familiar contact. _Finally!_ "I'm okay, we're okay," she muttered against Iris's shirt.

Iris cupped Sage's cheek in her hand, looking her over, and nodded as if in confirmation before hugging Cisco. For a brief moment the warmth returned to her eyes but as she looked up the fire became extinguished once more.

She hummed and crossed the dusty room, pausing to peer out of the slat of light that filtered in through the boarded up windows. It illuminated the abundance of dust motes dancing in the stale air. "They'll be here in any second. You should leave," she stated.

"I can't leave yet," Sage insisted, stepping closer to her. "I…I had to see you."

Iris didn't reply. Her eyes shifted over to Cisco who had removed his vibeglasses and blinked in the darkened house, turning this way and that. "Looking for something?" Iris asked.

"Figured Joe would've come barging in or something," Cisco commented.

Iris sniffed and then clicked her tongue. Sage's stomach dropped and her throat dried. She stood in front of Iris and looked up at her cousin, searching her face for something that could counteract the dread that spread like vines deep within her. "Uncle Joe," she uttered, her voice small in the large house, "…tell me. He's alright, isn't he? Iris? Uncle Joe's alright, right?"

"That depends on your definition," Iris replied. Sage sucked in a breath. _No. No! Please let Uncle Joe be okay!_

Iris walked around her, heading towards the kitchen. Cisco's eyes immediately dropped to her gait; what once was a strong walk now turned into an interrupted gait, as if one leg had to hurry to keep up with the other. "What happened?" Cisco asked.

Iris peeled back a corner of the curtain on the backdoor and peered out. She let go and it swung back into place. "They don't treat those they suspect are harboring fugitives well," she replied.

The word 'fugitive' was filled with so much venom; Iris may as well have shot Sage right then and there. A bullet tearing through her skin would hurt a lot less; at least that pain would subside. She squeezed her eyes shut as the pain radiated in her chest. Just like the very day President Eiling set his new regime into motion.

 _"_ Please _don't tell me it's you I saw on the World's Most Wanted list."_

 _The crack in Iris's voice hurt more than seeing the expression on her face. Sage knew she shouldn't have turned to look at her, knew that it probably would've been best to just continue to pack her bags and get out like Wells had advised them. It would've been easier._

 _Iris grabbed Sage's arm, stopping her from putting a framed picture of herself, Wally, and Joe into her bag. "_ Please."

 _"I can't…Ris…" Sage stood straight and shook her head. Tear tracks stained her cheeks, illuminating them beneath the harsh sunshine outside. It rivaled the storm that raged deep within the West house. "I'm sorry, I have to go."_

 _"No. You don't! You can stay. We'll…we'll figure something out!" Iris stated. She looked up over Sage's head to the three still figures in the doorway. "Guys, c'mon! You don't have to go."_

 _"Iris, we have to. If we stay…" Barry's words trailed off. He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat. "We need to get a head start. We're meeting with Cisco and Hartley."_

 _"What about Caitlin?" Iris asked. "Are you leaving her behind?"_

 _"She and Ronnie already headed out," Wally replied. His bag, filled so much it bulged, hung off his shoulder. It appeared to fold him over sideways beneath the weight._

 _"Daddy," Iris said, appealing to her father. Tears clung to her lashes as she watched Joe rub a hand over his beard. "Daddy,_ please."

 _"It's out of my hands, baby," Joe replied. His words and voice were thick. "There's nothing I can do."_

 _"Iris." Barry approached her and pulled her into his arms. She deflated in his arms, hanging onto him as if her life depended on it. He gently rocked her from side to side as the material of his shirt stifled her sobs. He kissed the top of her head. "Everything will be okay. We'll be okay. We'll come back, when this is all over. It's all going to end one day, don't worry."_

 _"But where are you going to go?" Iris asked, pulling away from him._

 _"Some place we'll be safe," Barry replied. He used his thumbs to brush the tears off her face. "I love you," he murmured. "I love you so much, Iris West."_

 _"I love you too, Barry Allen."_

 _Sage turned away as they kissed, perhaps for the last time. It would be easier to leave if she away now. Some say running away is the cowardly option. Those people never were forced with the choice. She hoped they never would have to._

 _A siren sounded outside. They all tensed._

 _"We gotta move," Wally insisted. His eyes darted to the window as a bright light brushed past the window. The humming sound of a chopper grew in the distance._

 _"Iris—" Sage couldn't finish her sentence as Iris threw her arms around her, hugging her tight. "Thanks," she uttered. "For everything."_

 _"Just come back. Okay?"_

 _"I promise."_

"Where's..?" Iris's question, unfinished, hung in the air. Cisco and Sage looked at one another, silently daring each other to be the one to break the news. Cisco was the one to crack at Iris's raised eyebrows and pointed stare.

"We don't know," he admitted. Iris's eyes briefly widened and then they clouded over. She nodded once. Cisco's admittance weighed heavy in the room.

Three months. How could everything change so much in three months?

Their group had dwindled when the bounty stakes rose for Barry and Wally back then; two speedsters were the perfect security blankets. A thought that President Eiling clearly was privy to, not a day went by where they could rest safe and assured. They were constantly on the move. Caitlin and Ronnie had gone off on their own after a particularly nasty night strike, one where Eiling's soldiers successfully captured Hartley in one of the rare moments he removed his hearing aids; Cisco hadn't heard from them since.

And then Wally came down with some sort of illness and told them in no uncertain terms to leave him behind, he'd only slow them down. Barry was then the leader, a position that put lead in his shoes but he found a way to keep moving. Until one particular stand-off left him with a distinct limp that didn't seem to be getting any better, no matter how many times he reassured them. No matter how many times they tried to jumpstart his healing abilities. He knew something was wrong but he wouldn't let them stop and talk about it. They had to keep moving.

When news of the Arrow's fall reached them they knew it was time to split up.

It was only by chance that Sage and Cisco ran into each other again having crossed paths somewhere in Texas. She had fallen on hard times in her attempt to stay one step ahead, finding brief moments of solace in anyone that would give up an hour of their time for intimate contact. They kept her whereabouts quiet if she kept their extracurricular activities quiet. It was a dastardly win-win.

Cisco, following a tip about some sort established metahuman safe haven, posed as a sort of psychic to make his money. He had a small apartment off the beaten track, hiding out for the time being. He'd ventured out in an attempt to find some news on the online metahuman network that Felicity had helped create when Sage came out of an apartment across from him. He offered her a meager dinner of Twizzlers and Skittles and a place to stay for the night. They'd traveled together ever since; her plotting and charting their course and him creating and executing escape plans. When Sage announced that morning that she wanted to drop back into Central City—Zone Zero as President Eiling dubbed it—Cisco thought she had lost her mind. Or had a death wish.

Or maybe both.

"I had to come back," Sage said. "Last time I saw Barry—" She stopped at Iris's visible flinching. _Of course_. She mentally punched herself for bringing him up. But he was the reason they were there, she had to see this mission through. For him. "Um. He asked me to give you something. And I wanted to see you. Just in case…"

Iris hesitated. Her eyes went down to watch Sage's hand as she dug in her pocket and then held something out to her. Her grip on the shotgun loosened slightly. Iris reached out her hand, her fingers twitching, turned her palm upwards. Sage's fingers unfurled.

 _—Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Fugitives MH013T and MH011T! We know you're in there! Surrender now!" A loud voice came in through the front door.

"Shit," Iris uttered. She picked up her gun, pointing the sight straight at the door, and held it up to her shoulder. Her face settled into an expression of stone. "Get out of here," she ordered.

"But what about you?" Sage asked.

"I'll be fine," Iris replied. When Sage and Cisco didn't move Iris barked, "Move. _Now!_ "

"Iris—"

"It'll be worse for you two if they catch you here. I have a chance…" Iris held Sage's gaze. Her words softened. "It's okay. I'll be okay."

Sage pressed her lips together and nodded. She held up her hand and shot a blast of ice around the door, sealing it to the doorframe in one thick layer. That'd give her a little more time to prepare. But just in case… Sage dug into her bag and removed the arrow she was looking for. She carefully tucked it between the belt and the waistband of Iris's pants. "It's one of Oliver's trick arrows…just in case you need it." She then stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Iris's cheek. Uttering a soft goodbye, she rushed to Cisco's side as a stray bullet shot through the door.

The last things Sage heard as they jumped through Cisco's breech were two things:

The sound of Iris pulling on the pump-action of her shotgun

and

the sound of the engagement ring Barry had trusted her to pass along hitting the hardwood floor.

* * *

 **I wrote this tumblr prompt about a year ago, don't know why I never posted it here. Hi! Hello! I hope you all liked this AU one-shot. Central City becoming a dystopian-like place is something I've always been interested in reading in fics; after all, metahumans can't have impacted everyone's lives positively. I figured I'd write about what it would look like if something was done about them. And Eiling becoming president, well, he'd have the power and the motivation to get those sort of things done. Please let me know what you think, constructive criticism is welcomed.**

 **If you're a previous reader of mine, in particular of my Flash fic, I figured I'd take the time to give you a little update on _The Mark of Sage._ I put it on hiatus at a point where my heart wasn't in writing it and my motivation was down. However, I have been editing and rewriting it for a while and I've come to the point where, being away from it for so long, has made me see problems with it (such as pacing, some characterization, trying to do too much at once, etc). As I revise it and think of what I have planned for it, I realize I can write it _so_ much better. So I'm at the point where I'm trying to decide if I want to just replace the chapters I already have up and keep going from there or discontinue that and put up the new and better version in it's own fic. So, that's where I'm at.**

 **I can't wait for the 100th ep!**

 **~Musings**


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